November 21, 2021 / Newsletter 251 |
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HELP US FIGHT JIM CROW 2.0!
Your donations help us in the fight for all eligible voters to be able to cast their votes & have them counted.
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The HCDP Committee will hold its quarterly meeting on Dec. 18, 2021. Committee members will receive details soon.
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Weekly Thoughts from the Chair:
Perspective from my 40+ years of trial practice
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I can say, with absolute certainty, that unless you have seen the entire trial, from start to finish, without exception, you are intellectually and morally unqualified to criticize a jury’s verdict. Even a trial transcript cannot capture all the scenes and nuances that constantly take place during a trial. We require jurors to set aside their work and life and sit in judgment – something most would rather not do. Trial by jury of our peers is our sacred and treasured right. We should be hesitant to criticize the results.
Consider the verdict in 79 year old Stella Lieback’s suit against McDonald’s. Facts: Stella was a front seat passenger. The coffee was between 180 and 190 degrees, 40 degrees hotter than it can be drunk – because above 140 degrees, it burns the mouth and throat. The spilled coffee caused third degree burns on her inner thighs, genitals and groin. Stella was hospitalized for eight days, required skin grafts and had two years of medical treatment. There were over 700 coffee burn cases reported to McDonald’s before Stella’s injury. Still, McDonalds refused to lower its coffee temperature to the industry standard of 140 degrees. Stella offered to settle for $20,000.00 but McDonald's refused. The final judgment against McDonalds, including punitive damages, was $640,000.00. McDonalds coffee is now served at 140 degrees or less. Was the jury wrong?
Trayvon Martin, wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, was walking slowly, in the rain, looking at houses. George Zimmerman, Neighborhood Watch Captain, followed him, but ceased when radio dispatch said: "Okay, we don't need you to do that." Zimmerman was walking back to his car when Martin jumped out from bushes and demanded “What the fuck's your problem, homey?” Unsatisfied with Zimmerman’s response, Martin said “Now you have a problem,” punched Zimmerman in the face, and knocked him to the grass. Martin then straddled and pummeled him while Zimmerman screamed for help. Martin said: "You're going to die tonight," as he pounded Zimmerman’s head on the sidewalk. While on his back, Zimmerman shot Martin once in the chest.
Facts: Trayvon Martin was about 6 feet tall – George Zimmerman about 5' 8". Martin was 17, Zimmerman 28. Martin had scrapes on his knuckles and a single, fatal, gunshot wound. Zimmerman had a bloody, swollen and broken nose, two black eyes, facial contusions and lacerations, and cuts on the back of his head. Zimmerman’s shirt was wet with grass stains on the back. Eye witness Jonathan Good, heard Zimmerman’s cries of "Help, help, help," and saw Martin on top of Zimmerman. Jury verdict: Not guilty. Was the jury wrong? In self defense, Martin cannot be a “victim.”
The jury verdict in Rittenhouse was: Not Guilty. In self defense, there are no victims. The jury found self defense. Let’s stop twisting the facts and distorting reality to support some preconceived scenario that we imagine. We should trust our fellow citizens to return a proper verdict based on the facts and evidence presented – as they are sworn to do.
Mike
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League of Women Voters Report on GA Special Session 2021 |
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Issue 8 - November 18th, 2021
Population Changes Used to Justify Congressional Redistricting
Four hours before [Wednesday]’s hearings on proposed Congressional districts, the redistricting committees released revised maps.
Overall, many Congressional districts are not much changed. The four corners of the state had some adjustments for population changes. More noticeable changes were made in the metro Atlanta area where most of the population growth happened.
For Congressional maps, the U.S. Constitution stipulates 0% deviation in district size. That means that they must be exact within one to two people. The maps unveiled today do achieve that but that is their only compelling selling point.
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project rates the map a C, passing but only just. A compromise map is easily possible, according to Ken Lawler, executive director of FairDistricts Georgia. A better map would do three things:
- Provide a better partisan balance of eight Republican districts and six Democratic districts; the proposed map has a nine to five split.
- Provide at least one competitive district; the proposed map has none.
- Provide five to six majority-minority districts; the proposed map has four.
The changes to District 6, a seat currently held by Representative Lucy McBath (D), have already been in the news. The proposed map “targets” her by moving the lines to exclude 270,000 people of color from the district in east Cobb, north Fulton and north DeKalb counties and include 270,000 white citizens.
The Democratic minority will present their proposed maps [Thursday] morning at 9:30.
A vote should follow quickly. No changes are anticipated, and the maps shown today will pass. The legislature has already indicated that they intend to adjourn on Friday.
Last-minute announcements have been a continuing theme throughout the special session. Complicated decisions that will determine Georgia’s electoral districts for the next 10 years are unveiled so late that voting rights organizations are unable to adequately analyze and prepare cogent comments on them.
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Georgia Senate approves a map that's likely to expand...
The Republican-controlled Georgia state Senate approved a congressional map that turns the recently competitive 6th Congressional District currently held by a Democrat into one of the more conservative seats in the state. On a 32-21 party-line...
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www.gpb.org
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Andrew Clyde may get drawn out of Hall County's...
Several Republican candidates have already announced their plans to run in District 10, including Georgia House Rep. Timothy Barr, R-Lawrenceville. The current 9th District covers most of Northeast Georgia, going as far south as Jackson and...
Read more
www.gainesvilletimes.com
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State & Local News (Some links may require a subscription)
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Opinion | Trump's rage at Georgia Republicans should...
Earlier this year, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the most nationally scrutinized "election integrity" bill in the country. The Republican governor hoped this would atone for the sin of being insufficiently corrupt on Donald Trump's behalf, by...
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www.washingtonpost.com
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Warnock: Politicians Must Protect Voting Rights
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) spoke on campus about the state of voting rights legislation in the United States on Wednesday. The event, titled "Race, Religion, and the Assault on Voting Rights," was held in Lohrfink Auditorium and featured...
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thehoya.com
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Bills targeting Gwinnett commission, school board spark...
Gwinnett County found itself at the center of a political storm steeped in allegations of partisan politics and racism at the state Capitol this past week after the county's lone Republican senator put forward a pair of bills targeting the county ...
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www.gwinnettdailypost.com
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Biden appoints Blackman to regional EPA post after he...
Daniel Blackman, who came up short in his bid to be the lone Democrat on the state Public Service Commission, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to oversee the southern region for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The White House...
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georgiarecorder.com
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12 Questions for Georgia's Agriculture Commissioner...
Democrat Fred Swann is a Middle Georgia native and a Macon software developer. He's been involved with the state and local party for years; this would be his first elected public office. 1. Like most elected officials, agriculture commissioners...
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www.atlantamagazine.com
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Defense attorney goes off after Rev. Jesse Jackson...
This Friday, one of the defense attorneys for the two men who shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery apologized for his comments before. a judge where he disparaged the presence of Black pastors and civil rights leaders who made themselves present in the...
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www.rawstory.com
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National News (Some links may require a subscription)
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'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley, A Capitol Riot...
Jacob Chansley, the man federal prosecutors called "the public face of the Capitol riot," was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Wednesday, one of the longest sentences handed down so far in connection with the events of Jan. 6.
Read more
www.huffpost.com
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Donald Trump continues to stoke a domestic terrorism...
Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter. The attack on American democracy that took place on January 6, 2021, is not just harrowing history of almost a year ago. It is an...
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www.motherjones.com
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Georgia's Stacey Abrams says NC has outdone itself with...
Stacey Abrams, one of the most vocal figures on voting rights in Democratic politics, took aim at North Carolina's recent redistricting cycle Thursday night, describing maps enacted for the state's legislative and congressional seats as among the ...
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www.newsobserver.com
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Opinion | As Democrats score a big BBB win, Republicans...
When the House passed the Build Back Better social policy bill on Friday morning, every Republican voted against a nearly $1.5 trillion tax hike on the rich and corporations. Yet Republicans are planning to seize on this vote to proclaim...
Read more
www.washingtonpost.com
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